Haunting Beauty
by blackjackcat
Summary: Legends, and secrets, and curses. Oh well. What Aiden is looking for, is the exact thing that Milliardo is trying to escape from. With a bad tempered, jealous witch in the equation, will they ever reach their goals?


**A/N:** A Halloween gift fic for clowyamma. I had fun playing with the title. :P Though I'm not sure about the ending.. This is of course, a huge AU with Milliardo. It sure was fun to write though. :p Thanks to clow for the great ideas!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam wing. I simply love the characters.**

**Warnings: **Hmn...Boyx...spirit love?

**Haunting Beauty**

Legends, stories, and rumors have all drifted through the town set at the bottom of the mountain about the curse placed on the castle above. Several hundred years ago, the prince of the castle was cursed by a witch who wished to marry him.

Her reason for doing so varies, though most wives tend to believe that the rich lord was rather pompous and selfish in nature so it was a punishment to fit the crime. Whatever the case, he had brought death to his entire household, and terrified any who came too close. Some who had dared to linger had even been wounded by this devilish ghost. No one dared to stay a moment longer to see if he would bring death.

Eventually the town's people gave up hope that the castle would ever be cured or restored and continued to live as if the thing did not exist beyond the edge of the dark forest that bordered their home.

As it was, Aiden did not care if the building was haunted or not. He merely wished to escape, and as he pushed one of the old wooden doors open, all he could care about for the moment was the warmth that greeted him from the storm outside.

So fierce was the wind that it slammed the huge door closed behind him, the thunderous sound echoing through the empty halls as our said visitor crumpled into an exhausted heap on the worn stone floor.

And that was how Milliardo found his new guest, imagine his surprise. He had been outside on the tallest northern tower, enjoying the way the wind ripped through his ghostly attire and form. A thunder storm was the closest he could ever feel to being alive, and the fierceness of the weather was always a thrill.

Now, as he stood before the limp and sodden form before him, Milliardo found himself caught off guard. He used his talents to scare the living based mostly on surprise, and he now found himself placed in their nonplussed position.

He had barely begun to gather his thoughts when the limp form before him began to stir. Orange eyes beneath soaked gray bangs met his own and blinked before the form beneath gathered itself and rose to its feet.

"Oh, I'm sorry.. I suppose I shouldn't have passed out on you like that." Brushing itself off, Milliardo watched as his guest straightened his clothes out, making a face at the dripping state of its braid. "I suppose I could go back outside but you can't really surprise me now can you?"

Milliardo frowned as those eyes met his again. "Shouldn't you be fleeing?"

"What?" Confusion rose in those ember eyes. "Fleeing? But I already am."

"No.." Somehow he was finding himself drawn into this conversation though he was beginning to sense that he would need to go to greater lengths to scare away his freshest house guest. "I meant that-"

"Oh. _Oh.._You mean you." Interrupted Milliardo could only watch helplessly as this human before him stretched and appeared to make itself comfortable, dripping as it was.. "I'm sorry to disappoint you but I have no intention of fleeing from _you."_

Despite his own intentions, Milliardo felt the curse moving to take effect as his form disappeared and the doors throughout the house began to slam, ugly shadows and grotesque shapes forming along the walls.

"I don't see why those villagers are so frightened of you if that's all you do." Taking a step away from the front door Aiden set off along the hallway, his intention to explore.

Through his whole journey Milliardo's intentions became more and more violent. Vases exploded as Aiden walked the halls; dishes flew through the air and set up a racket when he stuck his head in the kitchen.

It wasn't until he entered the dining room and the chandelier began to swing ominously that Aiden bothered to address his ever constant spirit. "Enough games. If you're going to kill me I'd prefer you do so now."

In the process of hurling a decorative sword he had taken from its case, Milliardo faltered, his aim going awry with the motion. Point first the blade headed straight for his new intruder, yet for once in his memory, Milliardo felt a horror growing within his own mind at what he saw.

Aiden didn't move, didn't try to avoid it or block. He simply stood there, as if waiting for the edge to pierce straight through his heart. Milliardo moved without thinking, his hands reaching for the heavy thing even as he used his near latent telekinetic abilities to force the blade aside.

Despite his efforts, the sword ran through Aiden's side, blood spilling from the wound. It dripped over Aiden's pale fingers as his hands moved automatically to the laceration. What horrified Milliardo the most as he flew towards the sinking form, was the smile that rested on the young man's lips as his eyes closed into oblivion.

"That was reckless. Idiotic. Foolish." Aiden blinked, and tried to open his eyes but found his body not wanting to cooperate with that wish. "Here he has life and he's willing to throw it away. Hmph."

Aiden found himself wondering if one get's chastised in the afterlife as the voice continued. "He may look like a woman but he certainly lacks the common sense of one."

"Do you always talk to yourself like this?" Forcing his eyes open with a sigh, Aiden turned his eyes to see the hovering form of the ghost who had been haunting him before. Though..for some reason he looked less frightening now.

"It's a habit." Glowering Milliardo finished his work and drifted aside, leaving Aiden to sit up under his own will. "It's not like morons will linger."

"Oh but apparently idiot's do?" As he checked himself over, Aiden couldn't help the humor. His hands touched the bandage on his side with a sigh as his eyes followed after the ghost, a frown forming on his face as disappointment filled his voice. "You missed."

"You're lucky I did. That was a heavily crafted sword designed by my late father. It would have skewered you without hesitation based on gravity alone." Letting the bandages he had been directing drift back down onto the kitchen counter, Milliardo focused on replacing the last of the ointment as well, his focus on his ability for the moment.

"So you need a moving target? I'll keep that in mind next time." Getting gingerly to his feet, Aiden slid off the wide kitchen table feeling a touch impressed with how stable the old wood was.

"Next time?" Turning with a glare, Milliardo met those strange orange eyes again, his own fury snapping in his own artic eyes. "Is the pursuit of death a habit for you?"

"Well, yes." Testing his weight Aiden began to look around the room. "Though usually it would have made me dodge or something. You're my best attempt so far." Drawing up a smile Aiden met the ghost's eyes. "Care to try again? I'm sure you've had lots of practice."

"No I have not!" Milliardo snapped, his temper flaring through the kitchen as cupboards slammed in his frustration.

"You know you _do_ look more like a ferocious ghost when you're angry." Aiden blinked as the answer sunk into him. "You mean you haven't managed to kill many people?"

"I haven't killed anyone in this castle! I.." His anger faded as he realized the true answer to that statement could easily be argued, as Aiden sought to point out.

"So all those bones and corpses I saw everywhere aren't your doing? They just _happened _to be here before you?"

"They are..what remains of my servants." Milliardo could hear the softness in his tone though he had to wonder at it.

"Oh.. So the rumors about you being responsible for their death _is _true. Cursed along with you were they? Hmn..Oh right!" Taking off at a fast pace, Aiden left Milliardo behind as he sped out the door and down the hall.

"Wait!" Milliardo flew after the trailing braid, calling out a warning. "If you run like that you'll aggravate your injury! You-"

His words were cut off as he flew right through Aiden, his visitor having come to a halt before a wall lined with floor to ceiling paintings. Unlike previous experiences however, Milliardo didn't feel chilled by the experience of merging with the living. Instead he felt an odd warmth flood through him. Blinking on the other side of Aiden, he turned with a growing feeling of bewilderment to see what held his guests attention.

He had forgotten the story Fredrick had painted there. Set back in the farther halls of the castle, Milliardo had forgotten this work as he rarely had a visitor make it past the main stair.

Images of the faces he had long forgotten painted in beautiful detail, and the one who was not. He could feel his thoughts darken with anger just by seeing her expression of condemnation.

"So she cursed you.." There was a softness to that voice that seemed to resound within Milliardo's soul. "How selfishly unfair. And for having moral's and boundaries too." His next words drew Milliardo's curiosity, making him drift a bit closer to see the expression on Aiden's face. "At least you have a reason for it.."

"You speak..as if you know something of curses." To his surprise his words were soft as he drifted by Aiden, awaiting an answer.

"Perhaps." His eyes wandered over the painting, lingering on the one portrait of Milliardo before he had been cursed. "Hmn..I can see you now." Turning to meet the ghosts' eyes with a smile, Aiden raised a hand as if to bid farewell. "Please don't let me interrupt your haunting. I'll just be exploring the dungeons. I'm sure you have something nasty down there that will catch me enough off guard."

Taking a step away, Aiden froze as chilly fingers gripped his shoulder, the otherworldly cold seeping into his bones. "They're empty."

"What?" His disappointment was clear as he glanced back to face Milliardo's ghost. "You mean there's nothing down there that could even hurt me other than a few rats?"

"There are no rats." Frowning he met those ember eyes again, seeing the setting sun in them. "Why do you have to find something to kill you? And _why_ are you so determined?"

Aiden made a face at the question, but still chose to answer. "Because I'm tired of living. Living and always fighting. Can't you make an exception and just cause my death?" His smile turned depraved with his next words. "I swear to take the secret with me to my grave."

"Sorry, I can't help you. I have my own life to worry about thank you."

"Life?" Aiden made a faint sound of disbelief. "Strange thing to say. Aren't you dead already?"

Milliardo's silence was the answer in and of itself.

"You're not?! You mean there's some body lying in this castle that looks like you that is still alive?! Ew! You must look like the worst image of the crypt keeper by now! I bet your hair is longer than mine! Eh..that's just gross."

"If you are.._quite done_ I can inform you that I haven't aged a day since the curse was placed on me thank you very much." Feeling his temper flare, Milliardo fought to calm it and keep the ice from his eyes.

"And what about after the curse is broken?" Eyeing the ghost Aiden tried to imagine it and failed. "Will you turn old again?"

"I doubt..that is what she wanted." His eyes drifted to the image painted on the hall, his anger sparking again. It was her portrait however that inspired his next suggestion. "Perhaps you should wait here for her. She comes every year and doesn't take well to visitors. Every Halloween I have to take extra precautions to make sure no one wanders close as she's never hesitated to banish them from this life before. I'm sure she would be eager to take yours."

"Yeah?" Aiden's excitement was clear as his eyes glowed in the torchlight. "But that's almost a year away. I just missed her. Are you sure you won't mind?"

"Not if you assist me. I fear some of the younger villager's are becoming more enthusiastic about this place." In truth, he knew he didn't mind this suicidal's company at all.

"Sounds like a plan." Offering a bow, Aiden grinned as he straightened and met the ghost's eyes. "My name is Aiden Sterling. Pleased to make your partnership highness."

"It's just..Milliardo. I never approved of titles."

"Alright then." Lacing his fingers Aiden cracked his knuckles in the silence of the castle, his eyes nearly feverish. "Let's say we change our tactics."

And change them they did.

Over the next nine months the two of them refurbished and cleaned the entire castle creating quite a stir among those daring to intrude from the village. Everyone who dared to speak of it were talking of how the resident ghost prince had decided to clean house and had apparently recruited two twins for the job.

Those twins were in fact Aiden himself with either his hair up or down. It worked to their advantage and both Milliardo and Aiden threw themselves into the task with a will. Their castle was no longer spooky and crawling with age but filled with light until all hours of the night as they worked feverishly to both clean house and terrify the natives.

For being alive, Milliardo found that Aiden was quite adept at scaring his fellow living. He seemed to possess an enthusiastic ability that let him know every man's greatest fear, and used it shamelessly to scare away every trespasser.

In fact it became a game between them, to see how many scares they could manage in a single night. For the transformation of the castle seemed to stir up a great many idle curiosities despite the fear of past haunting's and rumors.

It was the evening of Halloween that brought on the greatest competition to the two, Aiden remembering Milliardo's warning from the previous year that it was on this night that they would receive the most guests.

A few minutes to midnight they had scared off their last trick-or-treater and were celebrating in the kitchen when Aiden suddenly fell silent, his eyes on Milliardo's astral silhouette.

"What?" Catching the oddly soft expression on Aiden's face, Milliardo waited without further prompting for his friend to answer.

"You're..glowing." Aiden smiled as a gentle warmth filled his cheeks, his eyes moving to the candles lining the window. "I was just thinking that painting doesn't do you justice."

"Oh.." For a brief moment, Milliardo felt something almost warm tugging at his soul, but then his voice was drowned out by a vicious shriek.

"HOW _DARE _YOU?!"

Both Aiden and Milliardo jumped, and then winced at the shrieking that was echoing down the halls. "YOU TRAITOROUS AFFECTIONATE! I'LL TEACH YOU TO BETRAY ME!"

Before Milliardo could shout a warning to Aiden, the floor beneath his friend vanished. He could only watch in horror as Aiden's body began to fall, something dark wrapping around his waist as he was dragged into the pitch blackness, the floor becoming solid before him.

"AIDEN!!" Darting through the floor, Milliardo ignored the furious voice screaming his name, his whole attention fixed on the direction Aiden had fallen.

As suspected, he found his friend wrestling with a horrifying mess in the dungeons. And he said 'mess' because the thing Aiden was wrestling with was no longer solid but a rather pulpous jumble of chopped and torn limbs.

Milliardo found he could only stare as Aiden untangled himself from the mess, fighting to free himself from remains. Apparently whatever.._monster_ she had summoned was quite sticky.

Finally managing to free himself, Aiden glared one final time at the remains before striding for the door. Upon seeing Milliardo he grinned and waved, sheathing the sword that Milliardo could have sworn he had never seen before. "Well she can be quite a bitch, can't she?"

Shocked by the grin on Aiden's face, all Milliardo could manage was a numb nod before a howl of fury echoed through the chilled air, bouncing off the walls. Forgetting his lack of solidity, Milliardo reached for Aiden and focused all his will on dragging his friend from the castle. "You have to get out of here. I've never seen her this angry. There's no telling what she might do in this state."

Resisting, Aiden shook his head. "I can't. I-"

Milliardo's own sharp words cut through Aiden's answer. "After all your time here do you still wish to die!" He was almost furious as he still continued to fight against Aiden, the two's efforts resulting in a tug of war between them.

"Don't be stupid!!" Glaring at the ghost, Aiden stopped pulling, the end result being that Milliardo found himself drawn close to his friend. "You said she'll do anything! Do you think I'd leave you here to deal with her alone?" Aiden's eyes burned into Mill's own, his words fierce. "Not on _your_ life Mil!"

A faint gurgling behind them broke their attention on each other as they both turned to see the bulbous mass behind them reforming. "I knew there was a reason that thing was so sticky! Come on!"

Sprinting from the room Aiden dragged Milliardo after him, letting go once they reached the next floor. Dodging flying furniture and cutlasses, Aiden cleared the first hall only to run straight by the armory.

"Shit! Can't you do something? Where are your famous ghost abilities now Mil?!"

"It's not my fault! She hinders my abilities when she visits!" Yelling a warning to Aiden about a speeding javelin, he watched as his friend flipped over the bladed wood, not once loosing speed.

"Why are you so skilled at this?" Despite their situation, he couldn't help but be impressed.

"Didn't I ever tell you?" Blocking a cutlass trying to cut through his throat, Aiden embedded the thing hilt deep in a wall before flying around the corner at break neck speed. "I have my own curse to worry about."

"What?" Ignoring a chair that soared through him, Milliardo kept an easy pace with Aiden, his body flying alongside his grinning friend.

"Cursed to fight until death comes at another's hand." Blocking an arrow, Aiden snapped the bow as he passed, easily cutting through the wood and leaving it useless behind them. "That's me!" Throwing open another door, Aiden darted up the stairs his eyes glowing in the moonlight.

Sighing, Milliardo followed glad for the brief lack of decoration. "Why do I have the feeling that you are enjoying yourself immensely?"

"Because." Lifting an axe from the wall, Aiden carefully approached the locked door before them, raising the handle above his head. "I.." He swung, the blade thudding heavily into the wood, a cracking sound echoing back down the tower. "Am!"

Another swing and the door cracked enough to reveal the room inside. "There you are!" Kicking down the rest of the door, Aiden left the axe imbedded in the frame. "So, permission to carry your body out my lord?"

"Do you really need to ask for my permission in this kind of situation?" His tone of near exasperation drew Aiden's attention in time to see the axe shuddering free from the wood.

Aiden moved without thinking, throwing himself completely into the axe's range as it soared through the air, embedding itself completely in his side, the wood of the hilt pressing splinters into his skin.

"AIDEN! NO!" Reaching for the handle, Milliardo struggled to grasp the handle, yet his fingers kept helplessly passing through the worn oak.

"I'm fine Mil!" Aiden's voice snapped out like a whip, startling Milliardo at how alive he sounded even with such a deadly wound.

"GET _AWAY_ FROM HIM!! DON"T YOU _DARE_ TOUCH HIM?! HE'S MINE!"

"Forgive me but," Struggling to his feet, Aiden faced the witch framed in the doorway. "He doesn't belong to anyone." Aiden's smile faltered next as he placed a pale on the axe's blade, steadying it, his last words whispered. "Not even me.."

"I'LL _KILL _YOU!"

That wasn't right. Milliardo had little time to think as he darted past Aiden, diving right into the witch's heart. It was icy and cold in there. He could feel the darkness of her heart crushing him, and hear the fury of her soul.

"Enough Mil." Something warm pressed against his chest, fingers brushed over his cheek. But how..? "You'll be alright. Just relax..and live."

And then he felt it, lips pressed against his own, and everything cold left him as warmth flooded completely through him. It sang in his blood and rippled across his skin, warming even the ends of his hair..and then, too soon it was gone.

Milliardo blinked, his eyes opening to the tapered build of the roof above him. He could feel the curve of the mattress beneath him, the sheets draped over his body. His ears filled with the sound of the wind struggling faintly against the window.

"Aiden!" Throwing himself from the bed, Milliardo took a half step towards the door before he felt the hem of his robe catch on something. Looking back his face paled at the sight that greeted his eyes.

Aiden's limp form was draped over the side of his bed, the axe no longer imbedded in his side. It lay broken in a pool of blood a few feet from his friend's form, the trail from it ending at Aiden.

What had kept him from walking any further was the sword pierced through the mattress. The edge of the blade had just caught the corner of his robe, pinning his wear and effectively him, to the bed.

"Aiden?" Tearing his clothes free, Milliardo took a step closer to his friend's limp form, ignoring the blood splattered over the floor. Aiden's blood.. His mind whispered at him as he knelt beside the still body. "Aiden please.. Answer me."

Gently, he placed a hand on Aiden's shoulder, his eyes drifting to the shorn ends of his friend's hair. He didn't remember them being cut.. "Aiden?"

"That..kind of hurts Mil." Aiden's voice was faint, even as he moved to meet Milliardo's eyes. "So you are okay. That's..good.." As his voice faded, his eyes closed again, that same smile he remembered so well resting on his lips.

It sent a spark of anger through Milliardo even as he felt a flare of panic move through him. "After all that you still want to die?! How dare you?!" His fist slammed down on the bed, the motion making Aiden's bangs fall across his face.

"I..honestly don't Mil but I.." Shifting just slightly, Aiden turned enough to reveal the smoking dagger embedded in his chest. "Don't have much choice this time.."

"I'll kill her." Milliardo's words were a growl as his hands both clenched into fists.

"You..already did Mil." Aiden's smile was softer now, his words more distant as he leaned heavily against the bed. "I just wasn't.." He winced as the movement sent a ripple of pain through him. "Quick enough."

"No Aiden.." His eyes drifted to the mess bubbling a foot away from the door, his hands reaching for Aiden even as the sound of dripping blood filled his ears. "You can't." Burying his head in a mess of grey tresses, Milliardo felt something wet slide down his cheek. "Please.. I," His mouth found Aiden's own for a moment before he could find his voice to finish his words. "I..don't want you to leave me."

"That's..the kindest thing..anyone's ever told me.." A soft sigh, and then Aiden's pale and bloodied lips curved into a peaceful smile as he rested his cheek against Milliardo's chest, easily lulled by the sound of the prince's heartbeat.


End file.
